Persevering in the face of adversity.
18.6 is the number of years it takes for the Moon to complete a full cycle of its complicated phases. Who knows stuff like that? The Ancient people who built The Great Serpent Mound knew it thousands of years ago. This serpent-shaped mound in Southern Ohio mirrors the constellation Draco between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. Its snaky curves mark a myriad of important alignments of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. But why did they build it? The Cherokee say Serpent Mound was the Divine Center of all the nations and it contains a secret message about overcoming a time of great stress for humanity in the distant past. Serpent Mound is an anthem as well as a calculator.
Walking Among the Stars
As a young boy I stood under starry nights in the Allegheny Forest and listened to my father tell tales about constellations. Try as I might, I could make out only a couple of those wondrous gods and heroes and beasts. Yet, if hadn’t been for my father’s gentle patient re-telling, I may never have developed a lifelong interest in the history behind the myths to say nothing of the Universe beyond.
It’s baffling (and humbling) to discover how far the Ancients exceeded our knowledge of the cosmos. And while we struggled to walk a couple people on the Moon, they built The Great Serpent Mound so all their people might walk among the stars.
At The Great Serpent Mound, Southern Ohio – August 7th 2016
Steel Wheels 